Lenox Affordable Housing Trustees Meeting
November 5, 2012
Minutes
Committee Members present: Kate McNulty-Vaughan (KMV), Jo Anne Magee (JAM), Ellen Jacobson (EJ), Debbie Burke and Olga Weiss. Trustees present: Kate McNulty-Vaughan (KMV), Ellen Jacobson (EJ), Jackie McNinch (JM), Jo Anne Magee (JAM), Debbie Burke and Olga Weiss.
Also in attendance: Mary Albertson (MA), Town Planner.
The meeting was opened at 4:05 PM.
JAM made a motion to approve the September 10, 2012 minutes of the Joint Meeting of the Housing Committee and Trustees. EJ seconded the motion and the vote was 5-0-1 to approve. JM abstained because she did not attend the meeting.
JAM made a motion to approve the October 15, 2012 minutes of the Joint Meeting of the Housing Committee and Trustees. KMV seconded the motion and the vote was 4-0-2 to approve. OW and DB abstained because they did not attend the meeting.
Sub-Committee Reports:
Public Relations
KMV said that she emailed the proposed draft content for the website to MA. MA distributed copies of the information. This matter was tabled to the next meeting.
MA introduced George Jordan. Mr. Jordan is the Publisher of The Berkshire Beacon. Kameron Spaulding , The Berkshire Beacon, was also in attendance. Mr. Jordan reviewed Connie Kruger’s 2012 housing report. He noted that Ms. Kruger stressed the need for better community outreach. Mr. Jordan suggested that The Berkshire Beacon could publish a special tab to explain affordable housing. Mr. Jordan clarified that a tab is a special insert in a newspaper. He explained that the cost of a tab could be paid for by selling advertising and/or having the Trustees pay for a potion of the expense.
Discussion ensued regarding Mr. Jordan’s proposal. Items discussed included:
1) The level of merchant interest to purchase advertising.
2) The preliminary costs. Mr. Jordan suggested $3,000-$5,000 based on the size and number of tabs.
3) The content for the tab. Mr. Jordan and Mr. Spaulding explained that the Committee/Trustees would have editorial review of the tab. The Committee/Trustees would have no review of news articles that are placed in the regular newspaper.
4) The timing of the tab.
The Committee/Trustees thanked Mr. Jordan for attending the meeting. The consensus of the Committee/Trustees was to table this matter to the next meeting. DB disagreed with this approach and suggested that Mr. Jordan’s proposal be discussed today. DB said she would like to discuss the website content as well.
Mortgage Program
JAM reminded members that at the last meeting she reported that the Mortgage Sub-Committee met with Frederick Keator to discuss the proposed mortgage program. Mr. Keator is the Chair of the Community Preservation Committee. Mr. Keator offered suggestions regarding the use of Housing Trust funds. JAM is working on a response to Mr. Keator. Mr. Keator suggested purchasing units are Morgan Manor and Rolling Hills and renting the units for low and moderate income residents. MA contacted Berkshire Housing to determine if they would be interested in managing rental units. Berkshire Housing does not handle this type of project. MA will contact the Lenox Housing Authority to see if they have an interest.
The Trustees continued their discussion of the pros and cons of the mortgage program. JM informed the Trustees that the Federal Home Loan (FHL) program funds are gone. The Trustees proposal included a combination of FHL funds and Lenox Housing Trust funds. JM said the FHL program is generally renewed in April. The Trustees agreed that they remain interested in developing a mortgage program and want to continue to work on this project.
Sawmill Brook
DB offered an update on the Sawmill Brook project. The meeting between the Community Development Corporation, Stockbridge Congregational Church and Trinity Church went well. Tim Geller continues work with state agencies and private banks to secure funding for the project.
Reorganization
Members discussed reorganization of the Committee and Trustees. MA said she consulted with Roscoe Sandlin regarding the Committee and Trustees. Mr. Sandlin indicated that he felt there was a need for both. He said the Committee should function as the planning organization and meet on the regular basis. The Trustees do not need to meet as often and control the distribution of the Trust funds.
JAM made a motion to fill the vacant positions, elect a chair and then discuss potential reorganization. OW seconded the motion and the vote was 6-0 to approve.
The next meeting will be Monday – December 3, 2012 @ 4:00 PM. Meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Mary Albertson, Town Planner
Approved:
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